JUNEAU, Wis. (Court TV) — A Wisconsin man standing trial on charges he killed his wife denied ever hurting her — but admitted to burning her body and then pouring acid over the remains.
Zachariah Rasch testifies at his murder trial. (Court TV)
Zachariah Rasch, 44, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the death of his wife, Crystal Rasch, who disappeared on June 11, 2024.
The defendant took the stand on Tuesday morning as the defense began its case; immediately after introducing himself to the jury, Zachariah Rasch denied killing his wife.
Zachariah Rasch said he met Crystal Rasch in 2008, married her in 2013, and that the two had four children together. Initially, the couple lived together at Zachariah Rasch’s parents’ home; eventually, the two got their own place.
By 2019, things had soured for the couple. Their children had been taken away into state custody. “It was hard,” Zachariah Rasch said of the time, calling it “depressing.” By 2023, Crystal had filed for divorce, but the defendant maintained her filing had no impact on their relationship. He even kept wearing his wedding ring, he said, because “she wanted me to.”
The defendant admitted to purchasing a Taurus 9 mm firearm in the spring of 2024, but said his wife was aware of the purchase and had fired it a few times. When pressed about why he’d purchased the weapon, Zachariah Rasch suggested he planned to take his own life. He said that Google searches about gunshot wounds to the head and chest were about his own suicidal ideations and not a plan to kill his wife.
Zachariah Rasch said that on the morning of June 11, the day the victim was last seen alive, the couple went driving to attempt to see several attorneys — unsuccessfully. Each office they went into required an appointment, which the defendant said left Crystal Rasch frustrated. “She was mad,” he said. “[Crystal] said she wasn’t going in. She was done.” The defendant said the two began driving in silence until he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
“As we got closer, I noticed she had the gun,” Zachariah Rasch testified. “She reached up, and that was it.” He testified that his wife took her own life with the weapon while he was driving the vehicle; he described her slumping over as his ears were ringing.
After the shooting, Zachariah Rasch never called 911. He admitted on the stand that he went to his parents’ house, saying, “I was scared, panicked,” because “it was my gun.” Thinking he would be blamed for his wife’s death, the defendant said he laid Crystal Rasch in the grass at his parents’ property. Then, he said, “I burned her” in the grass. “I thought I’d get in trouble. I panicked.” After burning the body, Zachariah Rasch said he poured sulfuric acid over the burn pit to conceal evidence further.
The defendant also admitted to sending a series of text messages purporting to be Crystal Rasch while she was missing and police were interviewing her friends; he also admitted to lying in interviews with law enforcement on multiple occasions.
If he’s convicted as charged, Zachariah Rasch faces a potential life sentence.
